Josep

In 1939, Catalan cartoonist Josep Bartolí fled to France to escape Franco's regime. There, like many other Republican refugees, he was held in an internment camp under inhumane conditions. Hunger, disease, and violence were part of everyday life. Despite the adverse circumstances, an unusual friendship developed between Bartolí and a French gendarme who provided him with paper and pencils. This gesture enabled Bartolí to record his experiences in drawings and keep his hope for freedom alive. JOSEP is the directorial debut of French cartoonist Aurel (Aurélien Froment) and is based on the life of Josep Bartolí. The film combines different animation styles to underscore the emotional depth of the story. The music is by Spanish singer Sílvia Pérez Cruz and reinforces the film's melancholic atmosphere. JOSEP was selected for the official selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival and has received numerous awards, including the European Film Award for Best Animated Film, the César Award for Best Animated Film, and the Prix Louis-Delluc for Best First Film. The film also won the Prix Fondation Gan à la Diffusion at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Keywords

  • Award Winning
  • Curated: Animation
  • Holocaust
  • Malena Filmus' Picks
  • Sooner Exclusives
  • Topic: Refugees
  • world war II
  • Art
  • biopic
  • history
  • refugees
  • war

Actors

  • Sergi López
  • Bruno Solo
  • David Marsais
  • Gérard Hernandez
  • Thomas Vandenberghe

Director

  • Aurélien Froment

Animation


1h 14min


16

FR


PT

ES

NL

DE

FR

IT

PL

SV

EN

Belgium
France
2020
This sensitive animated film tells of the horrors endured by cartoonist Josep Bartoli in an internment camp.

This sensitive animated film tells of the horrors endured by cartoonist Josep Bartoli in an internment camp.


In 1939, Catalan cartoonist Josep Bartolí fled to France to escape Franco's regime. There, like many other Republican refugees, he was held in an internment camp under inhumane conditions. Hunger, disease, and violence were part of everyday life. Despite the adverse circumstances, an unusual friendship developed between Bartolí and a French gendarme who provided him with paper and pencils. This gesture enabled Bartolí to record his experiences in drawings and keep his hope for freedom alive.


JOSEP is the directorial debut of French cartoonist Aurel (Aurélien Froment) and is based on the life of Josep Bartolí. The film combines different animation styles to underscore the emotional depth of the story. The music is by Spanish singer Sílvia Pérez Cruz and reinforces the film's melancholic atmosphere.


JOSEP was selected for the official selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival and has received numerous awards, including the European Film Award for Best Animated Film, the César Award for Best Animated Film, and the Prix Louis-Delluc for Best First Film. The film also won the Prix Fondation Gan à la Diffusion at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Award
European Film Award
César

Cast & Crew